athlete of the week – Moore County Edition

Jun

08

2025

Athlete of the Week: Calissa Clendenin

Sportsathlete of the week, Calissa Clendenin, North Moore, North Moore Mustangs, North Moore softball

North Moore softball senior Calissa Clendenin is Athlete of the Week. She also played basketball and volleyball for the Mustangs. Clendenin got her summer sports season off to a good start. She’s a member of the Chatham County Post 292 18-19U team. In the opening game, she went 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Clendenin led North Moore in hits, RBIs, steals and doubles last season and was second in batting and on-base percentage. She will continue her softball career in college at Pfeiffer.

May

11

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Ian Scott

Sportsathlete of the week, Ian Scott, Pinecrest, Pinecrest boys' lacrosse, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest lacrosse, Pinecrest Patriots

Pinecrest boys’ lacrosse sophomore Ian Scott is Athlete of the Week. The Patriots lead the Sandhills Conference with an unbeaten 11-0 league record. Scott came up big in a win over Union Pines, scoring six of the team’s 10 goals on just nine shots on goal. He also assisted on two of the team’s other four goals. For the season, Scott leads Pinecrest in goals, points, shots on goal and shooting percentage, and he is second in assists.

May

05

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Mitch Baek

Sportsathlete of the week, Mitch Baek, Patriots, Pinecrest, Pinecrest baseball, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots

Pinecrest baseball senior Mitch Baek is Athlete of the Week. The Patriots head into the postseason on a four-game winning streak, including going 3-0 last week. Baek had hits and was responsible for runs in all three contests last week. Against Union Pines at home, he homered, walked, drove in two runs and scored one in a 1-for-2 day. In the game at Union Pines, he went 1 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Against Central Davidson, Baek went 1 for 2 with two RBIs. For the year, he is second on the team in batting, homers,…

Apr

26

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Kenan Van Scoyoc

Sportsathlete of the week, Kenan Van Scoyoc, Pinecrest, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, pinecrest tennis

Pinecrest boys’ tennis senior Kenan Van Scoyoc is Athlete of the Week. He also played football and basketball for the Patriots. Van Scoyoc helped lead Pinecrest to an 11-2 regular season in tennis and a perfect 10-0 in the Sandhills Conference. He qualified for the NCHSAA class 4A regionals and was named to the Sandhills All-Conference team. He completed his dominant senior tennis season by winning the Sandhills Conference Player of the Year award.

Apr

13

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Taryn Pekala

Sportsathlete of the week, Taryn Pekala, Union Pines, Union Pines girls' soccer, Union Pines soccer, Union Pines Vikings, Vikings

Union Pines girls’ soccer senior striker/midfielder Taryn Pekala is Athlete of the Week. She has also golfed and played basketball for the Vikings. The Vikings blew out Scotland last week, and Pekala led the way, scoring four goals against the Scots and needing just four shots on goal to do it. She also had a goal and an assist in an overtime win over Pinecrest two weeks ago that put Union Pines alone atop the Sandhills Conference standings. For the year, Pekala leads the team in goals per game and is tied for the lead in assists.

Mar

23

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Kileigh Cameron

Sportsathlete of the week, Kileigh Cameron, Union Pines, Union Pines High School, Union Pines softball, Union Pines Vikings

Union Pines junior catcher/first baseman Kileigh Cameron is Athlete of the Week. The Vikings won both games last week, and Cameron came up big at the plate. In a 5-4 win over Gray’s Creek, she went 3 for 4, stole a base and drove in a run. In a 19-2 blowout of Richmond, she went 4 for 4 with a run, three RBIs and three doubles. For the season, Cameron leads Union Pines in average, slugging, hits, homers and RBIs

Mar

14

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Ansley Preslar

SportsAnsley Preslar, athlete of the week, North Moore, North Moore High School, North Moore Mustangs, North Moore softball

North Moore softball sophomore Ansley Preslar is Athlete of the Week. The Mustangs are off to a 4-1 start to the season, and Preslar has been a force at the plate so far. In a 22-13 win over Southeast Alamance last week, she hit two home runs, doubled, scored three runs and drove in seven. She followed that up a hit and two runs against Jordan-Matthews. With five homers on the young season, Preslar leads all of NCHSAA. She’s also seventh in the state in RBIs and leads the Mid-Carolina Conference in slugging and runs.

Mar

03

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Liam Myles

Sportsathlete of the week, Liam Myles, Union Pines, Union Pines High School, union pines wrestling

Union Pines sophomore wrestler Liam Myles is Athlete of the Week. He’s also now one of three state champions on the mat for the Vikings. Myles entered the NCHSAA individual wrestling championships as a No. 3 seed at 106 pounds. He then went 4-0, winning his championship match by pinfall at 3:08. Union Pines won both the dual team and individual team state championships for class 3A. Myles finished the season with a record of 40-9.

Feb

22

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Jaydon Sterling

Sportsathlete of the week, Jaydon Sterling, Union Pines, Union Pines High School, Union Pines track and field

Union Pines track and field junior Jaydon Sterling is Athlete of the Week. The Vikings boys finished third in the NCHSAA Class 3A Indoor Track Championships, and Sterling scored nearly half of the team’s points, earning 23 of Union Pines’ 48 at the event. Sterling won the state title in the boys’ 300 with a time of 35.45. He also took second in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump. With a state title and two other top-five finishes, Sterling was named the NCHSAA’s Most Valuable Player for the 3A championships.

Feb

13

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Brock Sullivan

Sportsathlete of the week, Brock Sullivan, Union Pines, Union Pines High School, union pines wrestling

Union Pines senior wrestler Brock Sullivan is Athlete of the Week. The Vikings won the state dual team championship for class 3A with a 47-17 win over Pisgah. Sullivan recorded a 4-2 win at 215 pounds to cap off seven straight Union Pines wins to open the match. For his effort, Sullivan, who won an individual state championship last year, was named Most Outstanding Wrestler.